**1. Introduction**

Over the past decades, policymakers, researchers, school managers and practitioners all shared the concern of enhancing the process quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) which is the key to support children's learning and development [1–3]. To improve the quality of children's classroom experience, the Ministry of Education in China has initiated an educational reform and released the Teaching Guidelines for Kindergarten Education (2001). It aims to introduce progressive

educational ideas and promote child-centred and developmentally appropriate practice [4], regardless of traditional Chinese culture which features collectivism and children's obedience. Moreover, how Chinese teachers deliver interactions during instruction, what is the quality of teachers' teaching practice and their professional development needs after the revolution remain little known. A serious disparity between centralized policies and early childhood practitioners' pedagogical practices deserves more empirical investigations. To fulfill the knowledge gap, this study will investigate teachers' pedagogical practice and their perceptions of professional development in Chinese kindergartens.

### **2. Instruction and interactional aspects of process quality**

Decades of researchers have obtained a consensus that process quality has a direct impact on child outcomes [5, 6]. Instructional and interactional aspects of process quality have been discussed and studied to explore how process quality influences child outcomes. The instructional aspect of process quality is domain-specific, which captures the extent and quality of the promotion and stimulation of early learning in various domains, such as early numeracy or literacy skills [7]. For example, the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Extension (ECERS-E) [8] was developed to measure the instruction quality in literacy, numeracy, science and diversity. The Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) Mathematics Toolkit captures mathematic teachers' pedagogical practice and students' engagement in mathematical discourses during discussion [9]. This perspective is attributed to teachers' domain-specific or subject-matter knowledge. Research that includes comprehensive assessments of teachers' educational backgrounds and their coursework in specific subjects indicates that, particularly in the fields of mathematics and science, the level of teachers' academic preparation has a positive impact on students' academic performance [10].

In addition, the interactional aspect of process quality focuses on child interactions with teachers as well as with material and learning environment, which is often evaluated using the widely recognized and commonly employed Classroom Assessment Scoring System [11] (CLASS) and Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-being [12] (SSTEW) scales. The CLASS evaluates teacher-child interaction across three dimensions: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Emotional support focuses on nurturing a positive and caring relationship between teachers and children. Classroom organization primarily examines the proactive behavior management strategies employed by teachers to enhance student involvement in learning and play. Instructional support pertains to how effectively teachers promote children's higher-order thinking skills and language abilities through classroom instructional activities. Similarly, SSTEW measures the interaction quality in building trust, confidence and independence, supporting children's social and emotional well-being, extending children's language and communications, supporting learning and critical thinking, assessing learning and language [12]. The interactional aspect of process quality focuses on teachers' pedagogical knowledge which is characterized as the distinct proficiency educators exhibit in constructing and fostering efficacious teaching and learning environments, and a skill applicable to all students and transcending individual subject domains [13].

The dimensions of process quality have consistently been shown to play a vital role in shaping children's cognitive and social-emotional development. For instance, a study conducted by Sylva et al. [8] examined a sample of 2857 children from 141 early *Exploring Instructional and Interactional Aspects of Process Quality in Preschools and Teachers'… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112519*

childhood settings in the UK and found that higher average scores on the ECERS-E were indicative of better pre-reading skills in children. Similarly, Howard et al. [2] discovered a positive association between scores on the ECERS-E and SSTEW and children's number concepts and early numeracy development in Australia. To enhance process quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC), the current research emphasizes the significance of implementing effective professional development (PD) programmes. These programmes provide educators with valuable theoretical knowledge, content expertise and alternative instructional methods that challenge their existing beliefs and foster continuous improvement [14].

Professional development in ECEC refers to purposeful and interactive learning experiences designed to enhance educators' professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes and their application in practice [15]. In the ECEC field, various in-service training opportunities, such as coaching, consultation, mentoring and communities of practice, are provided to improve teaching practices and enhance children's learning outcomes [15, 16]. For example, [17] Early et al.'s (2017) randomised controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated that the Making the Most of Classroom Interaction (MMCI) and MyTeachingPartner PD programmes significantly enhance teachers' emotional and instructional support for children. Furthermore, research suggests that engaging in multiple coaching cycles leads to improved instructional support [18]. Despite the availability of various PD programmes for preschool teachers, there is a lack of research exploring teachers' perceptions of these programmes and their specific PD needs. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate teachers' instructional and interactional performance through a combination of quality evaluation and interviews. Additionally, it seeks to explore teachers' PD experiences and examine their perceptions of the effects of these PD programmes, providing valuable insights for future research on the professional development of preschool teachers.

### **3. Process quality in Chinese early childhood settings**

Kindergartens in China serve as the primary institutions for early childhood education (ECE), catering to children between the ages of 3 and 6. The establishment of the first Chinese kindergarten dates back to 1903, marking the beginning of a long history of early childhood education in China that has seen influences from Japanese schooling systems, Soviet approaches, and American pedagogy [19]. Consequently, cultural inappropriateness has persisted in teaching process. Prior to the introduction of progressive educational philosophy, Chinese kindergarten teachers were formally required to employ whole-class, teacher-directed, and academically oriented pedagogy [4]. This approach neglected children's active learning and interactions with teachers, as traditional pedagogy rooted in Confucian principles emphasized conformity, discipline, and behavioral control among children [20].

In recent times, a promising period of transformation has emerged with the aim of replacing traditional pedagogy with developmentally appropriate practices. This shift is supported by the new Guideline for Kindergarten Curriculum, which advises Chinese kindergarten teachers to adopt pedagogical approaches that are play-based, child-centred, and constructive [21]. However, certain distinctive features still persist in kindergarten classrooms, such as teacher-directed instruction, whole-class teaching, larger class sizes, and structured daily routines [20]. Whole-class teaching continues to dominate kindergarten classrooms, resulting in pedagogical interactions characterised by frequent teacher questions and simple oral responses from the entire class, or teachers delivering direct instruction while children sit quietly and attentively listen [20].

Previous research has predominantly described the characteristics of teacher-child interaction, with limited attention given to the quality of pedagogical interactions. Only Hu and colleagues (2016) [21] utilised the CLASS to assess such interactions. In their study of 180 classrooms, they found that Chinese kindergarten teachers demonstrated low levels of instructional support, receiving an average score of 3 on the 7-point scale. This can be attributed to the prevalent use of whole-class teaching methods in Chinese kindergartens, with limited instances of one-to-one or smallgroup interactions. When considering the Chinese socio-context, including factors like overcrowded classrooms and larger class sizes, the SSTEW scale, which evaluates both instructional form and teacher-group interactions, is suitable for the Chinese context, providing a more comprehensive understanding of interaction quality in Chinese kindergartens. Additionally, the ECERS-E, which examines teachers' instructional practices across different learning domains, is also relevant to Chinese classrooms where teachers provide domain-specific activities. Based on the literature review and within the Chinese context, this research aims to explore the characteristics of process quality in Chinese kindergartens, as guided by the following questions:

